Louise Alder & Joseph Middleton: Lines Written During a Sleepless Night review – worth staying up for
(Chandos)Alder’s glorious soprano is wonderfully supported by Middleton’s expressive piano in songs by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Medtner and Britten - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarSault: 5 / 7 review – intriguing grooves from a mystery funk machine
No one seems to know who they are, but one thing is sure: Sault make hooky, dubby, funky music with echoes of ESG and Can - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBerlioz: La Damnation de Faust review – sell your soul for a damned fine Faust
Michael Spyres is almost superhumanly good in this live recording of Berlioz’s légende dramatique - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBurial: Tunes 2011-2019 review – transmissions from an alternate universe
The producer’s collected post-Untrue EPs reveal him as one of the most evocative voices in British music - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarAllison Moorer: Blood review – an aching, moving testimony
(Autotelic/Thirty Tigers) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarLeonard Cohen: Thanks for the Dance review – a sublime final statement
This posthumous album finds the poet and singer on reflective, insightful, deadpan form, ‘settling accounts of the soul’ - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarSchubert Symphony No 9 review – high-octane and purringly smooth
Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev inspires the SCO in Schubert’s massive work, with grandeur and great washes of feeling - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarWire: Mind Hive review – sinewy, stripped-back, fearful – and beautiful
(Pink Flag)The band have added taut melodies, lush electronics and lyrics of prickling anxiety to the distorted guitar chaos: this is such a good album - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJ Hus – Big Conspiracy review: British rap star lights up his own lane
More introspective and subdued following a spell in prison – though with libido intact – J Hus is still masterfully blending styles - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstar070 Shake: Modus Vivendi review – an impressive statement of intent
(GOOD Music/Virgin EMI) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarCitizen Bravo, Raymond MacDonald and Friends: Return to Y’Hup: The World of Ivor Cutler review – charming tribute to a national treasure
(Chemikal Underground) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarMac Miller: Circles review – a last look inward for a complex talent
The US rapper’s final album is occasionally playful, but dominated by introspection - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarHalsey: Manic review – takes confessional pop to the next level
Her openness and lyrical specificity make listening to the 25-year-old’s dramatic third album feel like reading someone else’s diary - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarMac Miller: Circles review – late rapper still pushing hip-hop's boundaries
Circles continues Miller’s searching musical journey, adding elements of soft rock, pop and more to emo-rap: the result is beguiling and natural - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarVarious: London Is the Place for Me: The Music of Young Black London, Vols 7 & 8 review – joyous blends
This survey of the music of the post-Windrush generation is an effervescent mix of calypso, patois poetry, jazz and joropo, but with poignant undertones - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarConcertos by Pesson, Abrahamsen & Strasnoy review – Tharaud brings fleet brilliance
Alexandre Tharaud performs three new piano concertos, of varying quality, but each with his characteristic tonal variety and clarity - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarSulzmann/ Iles/ Holland: Lush Life review – a joyous meeting of minds
(Jellymould Jazz) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarField Music: Making a New World review – war stories with disco-pop sensibilities
The Brewis brothers’ concept album about the impact of the first world war brings left-field pop to topics ranging from skin grafts to period shame - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarThe Big Moon: Walking Like We Do review – endlessly quotable indie-pop
The indie quartet are in a bright mood, though Juliette Jackson can be devastatingly sharp on the disappointments of contemporary womanhood - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: The Late Quartets review – serene and assured performances
Brodsky Quartet (Chandos, three CDs) - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarElliot Galvin Live in Paris, at Fondation Louis Vuitton review – pianist of a mercurial mind
Unaccompanied, Galvin brings surprising runs and whiplash sounds from his instrument, recorded at a new Paris museum - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarGeorgia: Seeking Thrills review – a bold British hymn to hedonism
The singer and producer has absorbed Chicago house, Robyn-style pop and dub reggae, and refashioned them into an album about being ‘consumed by night’ - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJaimie Branch: Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise review – a trumpet call to action
The US trumpeter – and now vocalist – lets out a furious, chaotic shriek in response to Trump’s America - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarLuthorist: Hueco Mundo review – Irish rap star sets a high bar
Luthorist, of Dublin rap collective Nuxsense, released this blueprint of their philosophy in hypnotic, drowsy style - Dean Van Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarJoan Shelley: Like the River Loves the Sea review – magnificent love-and-loss songs
Shelley’s fifth album was recorded in Iceland and her music seems more timeless, steely, sad and resolute than ever - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarYoung Nudy & Pi'erre Bourne: Sli'merre review – strong showcase for rap's wonder-producer
With his crisp drum programming and weird and woozy synth lines, producer Bourne proves the ideal foil for Atlanta rapper Nudy - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarKalie Shorr: Open Book review – raw tales from a gifted country storyteller
On her self-released debut, the future country star discusses some hard knocks with an abundance of empathy, humour and honesty - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarO’Higgins and Luft: Play Monk & Trane review – a bold take on two greats
(Ubuntu Music) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarStormzy: Heavy Is the Head review – a hyper-confident return
This grandstanding follow-up to Gang Signs & Prayer retains that pugnacious south London voice - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarDaniel Lopatin: Uncut Gems Original Soundtrack review – vital, nerve-jangling score is a jewel
Lopatin, AKA Oneohtrix Point Never, has created a soundtrack for the Safdie brothers’ latest that brings its whole roiling humanity brilliantly to life - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarHarry Styles: Fine Line review – idiosyncratic pop with heart and soul
Styles is taking his time to come into focus as a songwriter, and the results range from brisk and sunny to barbed and sly - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarStormzy: Heavy Is the Head review – a bright light on the dark side of fame
He’s become so famous that even the Archbishop of Canterbury loves him – but this brilliant second album shows how difficult Stormzy finds stardom - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarThe Comet Is Coming: The Afterlife review – totally of the now
(Impulse) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarPop. 1280: Way Station review – Proustian industrial rock
The Brooklyn outfit evoke a powerful mood with their pummelling drum machines, wailing synths and snarling vocals - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarRobin Hatch: Robin Hatch review – discover a new grammar for piano
For her third album this year, the Canadian composer continues to defy genres by creating a bold new grammar for piano - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarBach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin review – period instruments add Tyrolean freshness
Separate period instruments – and baroque bows – for the partitas and sonatas add drama to Zehetmair’s immense subtlety - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarHannah Diamond: Reflections review – gloriously overwrought
(PC Music) - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarAlison Rayner Quintet: Short Stories review – memories brought to life
(Blow the Fuse) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarMs Banks: The Coldest Winter Ever Pt 2 review – rising rapper has summery bounce
The south-east Londoner’s second album shifts from downbeat trap to euphoric afropop rhythms and steely playfulness - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarOmar Souleyman: Shlon review – the dabke-techno king is passionate as ever
The Syrian musician has released 500 records and now lives in exile in Turkey, but this short, sharp record shows an undimmed spirit - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: Leonore review – crisp, convincing Fidelio origin story
Petersen/Schmitt/Ivashchenko/Johannsen/Freiburg Baroque O/Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi, two CDs)Leonore was Beethoven’s first version of Fidelio and René Jacobs eloquently champions the earlier score in this lithe live recording - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarThe Who: Who review – back and still causing a big sensation
Despite their precarious relationship, Daltrey and Townshend return for their first album in 13 years, snarling at the Grenfell disaster and hoping for world peace - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBeck: Hyperspace review – dewy, plush and on-trend
(EMI) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarHannah Diamond: Reflections review – trance-pop rescued from good taste
On these melancholy bangers, the PC Music singer uses nursery rhyme-like melodies and a girlish sing-song delivery to essay the pain of being lovelorn and vulnerable - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarMarius Neset: Viaduct review – voracious reinvention of jazz/classical borders
(ACT)The Norwegian saxophonist and composer continues to trailblaze, here combining forms with intensity and brilliance - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarStockhausen: Kontakte review – the work emerges with startling immediacy
George Barton/Siwan Rhys (All That Dust, download only) Percussionist Barton and pianist Rhys’s binaural recording adds another dimension to Stockhausen’s textures and reveal his musical thinking - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBonnie ‘Prince’ Billy: I Made a Place review – older, wiser and happier
(Domino) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarEchoes of Swing: Winter Days at Schloss Elmau review – delightful cold comfort
(ACT) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarArthur Russell: Iowa Dream review – lopsided, funky and staggeringly beautiful
This collection of unreleased tracks from the electronic pioneer is a treasure trove of Russell’s guileless, always melodic songs - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarShanti Celeste: Tangerine review – club music with subtlety and depth
The Bristolian DJ and producer’s nuanced debut is an enveloping listen, folding softer textures into its 2am beats - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarTindersticks: No Treasure But Hope review – more subdued loveliness
The band’s world is a compellingly strange, crepuscular place, into which some warmth is allowed to drip - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarSound Portraits from Bulgaria: A Journey to a Vanished World review – songs rescued from the edge of history
Martin Koenig’s wonderful collection, recorded in rural Bulgaria between 1966 and 1979, is quietly heroic - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarFKA twigs: Magdalene review – inner battles that will stay with you
(Young Turks) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarLizzo review – a joyful, slightly rude hug of a night out
The cult rapper woos 5,000 fans with a nimble mix of funk, pop and hip-hop - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarMoor Mother: Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes review – raging protest poetry
The activist and musician overlays stunning sound collages with furious verses laying bare the lie of post-racial America - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarNicolas Godin: Concrete and Glass review – a pretty facade on shaky foundations
The former Air member’s second solo album is a paean to various architects the veers between elegant and insipid - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarOkay Kaya: Watch This Liquid Pour Itself review – strange dream-pop tales of thwarted lust
(Jagjaguwar) Kaya Wilkins’ second album ranges from confessional blood-letting to 50s ballads and disco-pop – in her own inimitable style - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarTwin Atlantic: Power review – Soaring Scot-rockers' smooth synth detour
Sam McTrusty and co break out the 80s electronic palette for their fifth album, full of hooks and ideas – too many at times - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarArandel: InBach review – Bach through 100 electronic kaleidoscopes
(InFiné Records)Techno artist uses period instruments to reshape Bach’s mutating melodies into minimalism, ballads and synth-pop - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarEminem: Music to Be Murdered By review – potent force in search of targets
Another surprise album drop finds the rapper on stylish form, even as he scatters scorn wide – at young rappers, #MeToo sensibilities – and identifies with deadly outsiders - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstar070 Shake: Modus Vivendi review – paranoid jams and futuristic gospel
On her debut album, the singer previously known for her features on Kanye records tackles dark themes with propulsive synths and a vocal that sounds invincible - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarCourteeners: More. Again. Forever. review – fighting the death of indie
Without abandoning the well-executed anthemics that form the basis of their success, the Manchester band’s sixth album weighs in on the subjects of ageing, alcohol and mental health - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarPoppy: I Disagree review – candyfloss pop with a dark heart
(Sumerian) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarField Music: Making a New World review – a concept stronger than the songs
(Memphis Industries) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarThe Big Moon: Walking Like We Do review – indie crew grow their sound
(Fiction) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarGeorgia: Seeking Thrills review – thrills without the spills
The London producer extols the merits of clean living and a clear head on her second album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarPoppy: I Disagree review – online pop-bot embraces IRL nu-metal
Breaking free of her rigidly controlled persona, the former YouTube sensation’s new album is repetitive but sincere - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarKanye West’s Sunday Service Choir: Jesus Is Born review – gospel venture tests the faith
The newly devout Christian takes you into his house of prayer in an album with some languid highs, but, ultimately this is one for believers only - Dean Van Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarHarry Styles: Fine Line review – confident, convincing and catchy
(Erskine/Columbia) - Gregory Robinson
starstarstarstarstarFree Nationals: Free Nationals review – a smooth ride with Anderson .Paak’s band
(Empire/OBE) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSt Vincent/Nina Kraviz: Masseduction Rewired review – fragmented yet magnetic
Russian producer Kraviz moves St Vincent’s 2017 album through a variety of gloomy musical lenses, from footwork to dub - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarFree Nationals: Free Nationals review – soulful vibes abound
The slinky, funky debut album by Anderson .Paak’s live band evokes gas-guzzling 70s cars with shag pile carpets - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarThirty Pounds of Bone & Philip Reeder: Still Every Year They Went review – come aboard
An evocative album of softly shined shanties and folk songs recorded on a working fishing boat, with added atmosphere supplied by the waves and gulls - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarCamila Cabello: Romance review – giddy, frisky fun
(Epic/Syco) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJeremy Warmsley: A Year review – genre-hopping folk-pop for all seasons
The London singer-songwriter – and one half of Summer Camp – released a new song per month during 2019, tracing the ups and downs of a relationship - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarJack Peñate: After You review – expansive third album
(XL) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarStick in the Wheel: Against the Loathsome Beyond review – maximum innovation
(From Here) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarDoon Kanda: Labyrinth review – welcome to the haunted fun fair
The designer and musician makes his mark using synthetic-sounding instruments to produce his spooky electronics - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarJack Peñate: After You review – getting tastefully high
Back after 10 years, Peñate’s tuneful new songs are a literate, spiritual exploration of the soul, but it’s undoubtedly a bit beige - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarColdplay: Everyday Life review – uneasy listening
(Parlophone) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarDavido: A Good Time review – Afrobeats-infused celebration
(RCA) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarBeck: Hyperspace review – Pharrell collaboration never achieves lift-off
In what would have seemed a dream teaming early last decade, Pharrell Williams helped produce Beck’s occasionally lovely but unambitious 14th album - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarColdplay: Everyday Life review – surefire hits and dodgy experiments
The band’s new double album mixes more of their melodically watertight stadium pop with dabblings in the genres they are least suited to dabble in - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarCéline Dion: Courage review – a quirky catharsis
(Columbia) - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarPumarosa: Devastation review – brooding turbo-anguish
(Fiction) - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarLil Peep: Everybody’s Everything review – posthumous chills and thrills
This variously sad, rocking and indifferent compilation sees the SoundCloud rapper mining a new theme: unrequited love - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarCéline Dion: Courage review – pushing on to a place beyond cool
A team of young, hip producers signals Dion’s newfound cult status, but it’s the wobbly-lipped ballads, not EDM, that she does like no one else - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarGirl Ray: Girl review – a north London version of Haim
(Moshi Moshi) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSon of Town Hall: The Adventures of Son of Town Hall review – folk fun with a steampunk twist
(Self-released) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarGirl Ray: Girl review – the great sound of a band getting pop wrong
The British trio have pivoted from jangly indie to pop, but the best bits of their second album lie in the spaces in between - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarMount Eerie with Julie Doiron: Lost Wisdom Pt 2 review – stark and heartbroken
A set of disconcertingly painful songs about the end of his first relationship after the death of his wife finds Phil Elverum at sea in sadness - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarKele: 2042 review – Okereke's most political work yet
The Bloc Party frontman’s fourth solo album mixes the intimate and personal with references to Grenfell and Windrush - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarMura Masa: Raw Youth Collage review – confused and bitty
(Polydor) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBombay Bicycle Club: Everything Else Has Gone Wrong review – songs to buy a mid-range hatchback to
BBC’s fifth album is a disappointment: crowded, ill-written and lacking conviction, it sounds like what it will swiftly become: an ad soundtrack - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarLiam Payne: LP1 review – genre-ticking anonymity
(Capitol) - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarCamila Cabello: Romance review – so-so songs for pop’s perfect love story
The singer’s second solo album is too heavy on the Auto-Tune, giving cyborg sheen to what should be heartfelt love songs - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarThe Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show review – old-fashioned festive schmaltz
Apart from a blockbuster duet with Lana Del Rey, there are no new musical ideas on this twangy Amazon Prime Video special and soundtrack - Dean Van Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarRobbie Williams: The Christmas Present review – perfect for regifting
Robbie does his full Rat Pack tribute act on a bunch of seasonal standards, and throws in some bonkers Christmas bonus songs of his own - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarMura Masa: RYC review – so mediocre, it's not even entertainingly bad
Clairo, Tirzah and Slowthai and other guests can’t polish the turds on producer Alex Crossan’s profoundly awful second album - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarLiam Payne: LP1 review – beware! Former 1D member on the prowl
One Direction’s Mr Boring lets his inner sexual piranha loose – with frightening results - Laura Snapes
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